site.bta15th Anniversary of Lake Ohrid Tragedy Marked by Local Authorities

Representatives of the Bulgarian diplomatic missions in Skopje and Bitola in North Macedonia, the Ohrid Harbour Master's office, the municipal council in the city and the associations of the Bulgarian community in the Republic of North Macedonia marked the 15th anniversary of the tragedy in Lake Ohrid, in which 15 Bulgarian tourists died, after the Ilinden sightseeing boat sank in the lake.

The Consul General of Bulgaria in Bitola, Nikolay Dimitrov, recalled the tragedy that happened on September 5, 2009 at 10:30 am. A group of Bulgarian tourists boarded the Ilinden sightseeing boat, with a group of 57 foreign tourists on board, to the Saint Naum Monastery. The ship capsized and sank about 250 metres from the shore of the lake.

"Fifteen of our compatriots from Pirdop, the villages of Anton, Ribaritsa, Mirkovo and Zlatitsa, who came to see the beloved in our country Ohrid, never returned home. It is in their memory, with the cooperation of the Ohrid Municipality, that we gather at this place every year. We must note that the tragedy would have been even greater if it were not for the local people who immediately provided help and 35 Bulgarians were saved thanks to the quick reactions of all those who responded," said the Consul General of Bulgaria in Bitola Nikolay Dimitrov, expressing his gratitude to sailors Vasko Markoski and Dragan Naumovski from the crew of Zoran Gilevski's ship, the Alexandria, the captain Petar Vasilev, the captain of the Kristina Vasko Yanev, the commander of the nearby army unit Rade Budjakovski, the duty officer Vlatko Dimanovski and his subordinate soldiers who joined in the rescue of the Bulgarians from the sinking Ilinden.

"This memorial is also in their honour. It should be a reminder of their humanity, courage, readiness to help those in distress. The compassion shown by these citizens of Ohrid obliges us to come to this pilgrimage every year and testify that Bulgaria remembers," stressed Dimitrov.

Those present placed fresh flowers in front of the monument to the 15 Bulgarians who lost their lives, built on the shore of Lake Ohrid with the funds of the State Cultural Institute under the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Bulgaria and was inaugurated on September 5, 2020.